A slightly tougher than normal Monday puzzle from Vulcan?
It may have been becasue I was watching a football match while I was doing this, so wasn’t concentrating fully, but this Vulcan felt a little tougher than the Monday puzzles he has set before. It was fun, though, and the image that WITHERED ON THE VINE gave me at 12:30am was enough to raise a smile.
Thanks, Vulacn.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SPRITE |
Special ceremony for fairy (6)
|
| sp. (special) + RITE (“ceremony”) | ||
| 5 | CORNROWS |
Hairy arrangement faced by harvester? (8)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 9 | ACT THREE |
Halfway through play perhaps catheter fails (3,5)
|
| *(catheter) [anag:fails] | ||
| 10 | VANITY |
Such a case of conceitedness? (6)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 11 | PURR |
Express pleasure, turning up with classy car (4)
|
| [turning] <=UP with RR (Rolls Royce, so “classy car”) | ||
| 12 | HUMILIATED |
Mortified, having to sing wordlessly to one particular backing (10)
|
| HUM (“to sing wordlessly”) to I (one) + <=DETAIL (“particular”, backing) | ||
| 13 | STAMEN |
In tin, weak fertiliser (6)
|
| In Sn (chemical symbol for “tin”), TAME (“weak”) | ||
| 14 | DON’T KNOW |
Pass reply to pollster (4,4)
|
| Double definition, I think? | ||
| 16 | REHOUSED |
Wounded hero accustomed to being moved elsewhere (8)
|
| *(hero) [anag:wounded] + USED (“accustomed”) | ||
| 19 | UPPITY |
Arrogant but promoted – shame (6)
|
| UP (“promoted”) + PITY (“shame”) | ||
| 21 | NINETEENTH |
Drinking hole where one may buy round after round (10)
|
| Cryptic definition referring to the NINETEENTH hole, the bar at a golf course. | ||
| 23 | EWES |
Farm animals’ exploit recounted (4)
|
| Homophone/pun/aural wordplay [recounted] of USE (“exploit”) | ||
| 24 | SCREED |
Tedious speech, a statement of belief by saint (6)
|
| CREED (“statement of belief”) by S (saint) | ||
| 25 | BRINGS IN |
Yields items of jewellery to be thrown away? (6,2)
|
| RINGS (“items of jewellery”) in BIN (“to be thrown away”) | ||
| 26 | ASK FOR IT |
To seek computer assistance is to invite trouble (3,3,2)
|
| If you ASK FOR I.T. you may want “computer assistance”. | ||
| 27 | SODDEN |
Two types of earth, very wet (6)
|
| SOD (“earth”) + DEN (“earth”, as in an animal’s home) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | PICK UP THE PIECES |
Recover from shock of upsetting the board? (4,2,3,6)
|
| If you upset a chess board, you may have to PICK UP THE PIECES | ||
| 3 | INTERIM |
During school time, accepting one is temporary (7)
|
| IN (“during”) TERM (“school time”) accepting I (one) | ||
| 4 | EARPHONES |
US lawman perfects hearing aid (9)
|
| (Wyatt) EARP (“US lawman”) + HONES (“perfects”) | ||
| 5 | CREAMED |
Like some potatoes? Made huge fuss, denied starter (7)
|
| (s)CREAMED (“made huge fuss”, denied starter) | ||
| 6 | REVEL |
Delight as joystick is pulled up (5)
|
| <=LEVER (“joystick”) [is pulled up] | ||
| 7 | RANSACK |
Hurried with big bag for plunder (7)
|
| RAN (“hurried”) with SACK (“big bag”) | ||
| 8 | WITHER ON THE VINE |
Excitedly invite whore, then fail through inanition (6,2,3,4)
|
| *(invite whore then) [anag:excitedly] | ||
| 15 | NOUGHTIES |
Ten years at the start of century? It’s enough mess (9)
|
| *(its enough) [anag:mess] | ||
| 17 | ONESELF |
Me and my little helper? (7)
|
| ONE’S (“my”) + ELF (“little helper”) | ||
| 18 | DINGBAT |
Special symbol indicating ingredients of pudding batter (7)
|
| Hidden in [ingredients of] “pudDING BATter” | ||
| 20 | PLEDGED |
Paid across the counter as promised (7)
|
| Pd. (paid) across LEDGE (“counter”) | ||
| 22 | EIDER |
Monarch formerly eating fish and duck (5)
|
| ER (Elizabeth Regina or Edward Rex, so “monarch formerly”) eating IDE (“fish”) |
Nitpick: Surely 5a is a ddef not a cdef? On the other hand, 14a could be equally well described as either, and if it’s a ddef it’s not very double, so I’m inclined to call that one a cdef rather than a ddef.
…whereas I had 14 ac (DON’T KNOW) as a Rufus-style cryptic, not a dd; it’s how you say ‘pass’ to a pollster rather than to Magnusson/Snow/Anderson/Humphrys/Myrie. Thanks loonapick, and Vulcan for his consistently effortless class.
Sorry g#1, I only had 1 comment to read and I didn’t even finish it..yes, agree with you re 14ac 🙂